Learn From My Mistakes

Short story of how I break life chaos into small, solvable problems - 2 min read.

A few weeks ago, we were on the beach (lucky us - just a 2.5-hour drive), and a relatively strong wind started blowing.

Our beach umbrellas had survived enough abuse over the years - until one of them finally gave up and stopped pretending it was useful.

They served us well for about five years, but it was clearly time for a post-mortem.

Lesson #1: Beach umbrellas are not windproof. Especially the under-$150 ones with plastic spokes.

Lesson #2: Umbrellas aren’t tall enough to stand under. Shade? Sure. Standing? Only if you’re under 4’11”.

Lesson #3: If you want to lie down, the shade area is a joke. Either your legs roast or your face does. Or you can combine two umbrellas - then there's no room left for the rest of the family. (I wish that insight had hit me on the beach, not while writing this.). Conclusion: only chairs. Only hardcore.

Lesson #4: Two umbrellas are surprisingly bulky. Car trunks weren’t designed long tubes of disappointment.

With that in mind, I went on a mission to convince my wife not to replace the broken umbrella, but to try something new.

Thankfully, the beach was full of clues: Shibumi Shades.

Blue and teal canopies stretched as far as the eye could see. Elegant. Popular. Hypnotic. Like a cult… but SPF 50.

Pros:

• UPF 50+

• Massive shade. Four people? Easy. Everyone can lie down.

• Tall enough to actually stand under

• Easy setup - no digging holes

• Super portable (about ⅓ the length of a packed umbrella)

Cons:

• Price. It ain’t cheap.

But to be fair, if I had to replace our broken umbrella, I wouldn’t even consider another budget option. Fool me once, sunburn me twice.

Naturally, my wife and I mostly argued about size of the canopy.

She wanted the smaller version: 1-2 person size. Basically the same shade as two umbrellas. Which, to me, defeated the entire point (see Lesson #4).

Eventually, she gave up: “Whatever. I’m tired of hearing about it.”

I seized the moment: “Perfect. My love, which color do we pick?”

“Alex!..” (The tone said, Are you serious right now?)

As if there was a choice - everyone was rocking the gorgeous blue and teal combo.

To be honest, I loved it too. Like, a lot. So did everyone else. That’s why the entire beach looked like it had a uniform.

So I picked the ugliest color combo on their website: purple and yellow.

Why? Two reasons:

1. It had to stand out so we could easily find our spot (and guide friends to it).

2. The odds of someone else picking it? Basically zero.

To sell it to my wife, I said: “It kinda looks like the Ukrainian flag… just… artsier?”

(Spoiler: We’re Ukrainian.)

She approved. We tested it on July 4th - peak beach chaos. I’ve never seen that beach so packed.

Final report:

Out of what felt like a thousand Shibumi Shades:

• 99% were blue and teal

• 1% were red and navy

• Purple and yellow? Just one. Ours.

The plan worked.

Everyone else had style. We had… directions. And a weird amount of confidence.

Till next time.

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Idea Quotas for Creative Output. Edison set personal targets: a minor invention every 10 days and a major one every six months. This “idea quota” kept the creative faucet running. Quantity leads to quality - apparently even if most of it is trash. (In other words: yes, your 472nd idea might finally be decent.)

Embracing Relentless Experimentation. He famously tested thousands of materials - 9,000 for lightbulb filaments, 50,000+ for batteries. Edison didn’t fail; he just found thousands of ways to not win. Honestly, feels a bit like my attempts at meal prep.

Trial‑and‑Error Over Theory. When theory ran dry, Edison went full caveman mode: hunt, poke, tweak, repeat. Tesla rolled his eyes and called it inefficient. Edison called it “Tuesday.” We’ve all been there.

Building Full Systems, Not Just Parts. He didn’t stop at the lightbulb - he built the whole electric world around it. Generators, meters, wiring, even pricing models. The man basically invented the modern startup stack, minus the pitch decks and kombucha.

Industrializing Innovation. Edison turned invention into an assembly line of ideas. Menlo Park and later West Orange were 24/7 creative labs before coworking was cool. He basically ran the first WeWork, except with results.

Record‑Keeping & Research Discipline. Before starting, Edison would dive into every existing report, patent, or sketch available - then test thousands more. Imagine reading all the FAQs before trying something. Monster behavior.

Perseverance Motto. “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned doesn’t mean it’s useless.” Spoken like a man who’s kept every cable, screw, and mystery charger in a box labeled “just in case.”

Turning Work into Play. “I never did a day’s work in my life - it was all fun,” Edison claimed. That’s what happens when your job description is “mad genius with unlimited funding.”

Creative Napping Technique. Edison napped while holding objects that would drop when he drifted off, jolting him awake at peak brainwave creativity. Sounds weird until you realize your best ideas also come between dreams and your third snooze.

Quantifying Progress Through Patents. He filed 1,093 patents - roughly one every 11 days. That’s not a typo. That’s a man who turned filing paperwork into a competitive sport.

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